This week, Greater Manchester Mayor, Andy Burnham, is holding a 'Green Summit'. Don't ask us anything about it, the Salford Star is not invited. However, on Wednesday 21st March, from 7pm at Central Methodist Hall, Manchester, Frack Free Greater Manchester is organizing a fringe event centred on the fight against fracking in the region.
It all started four years ago at Barton Moss in Salford, when IGas began exploring for shale gas and was met with massive daily resistance from campaigners and the local community. That, in itself, is a book and a film; but since then, while IGas has gone temporarily from Salford, it, and other companies, have attempted fracking elsewhere, with no success so far...
IGas has abandoned plans to explore for shale gas in Upton, Cheshire, while, in January this year the Council at Ellesmere Port threw out plans for exploration there. In Yorkshire, Third Energy has removed equipment from a proposed site at Kirby Misperton, after the Government set more stringent financial tests on fracking companies. And, in Lancashire, Cuadrilla has yet to extract any gas from their site at Little Plumpton, near Blackpool.
The Frack Free Greater Manchester fringe event aims to tell the story of the four years of campaigning against fracking, and how activists have, so far, prevented fracking in the UK.
Speakers include Helena Coates from Frack Free Greater Manchester, Eddie Thornton from the Kirby Misperton Protection Camp and Councillor Maureen Mills from Lancashire – where they do have councillors who will stand up to fracking; unlike Salford at the time of Barton Moss who never opposed fracking, nor visited the site once.
"Fracking is a threat to our countryside, our water and our climate" says Martin Porter from the Manchester Greenpeace Group "But the story of how ordinary people have stood up to one of the most polluting industries in the world is an inspiring one that everybody should hear.
"The last four years have been a disaster for the fracking industry" he adds "Shale gas was always the last gasp of the fossil fuel dinosaurs, but now it seems they've just about expired. Four years after Barton Moss, not a single gram of fracked gas has been produced.
"We need an alternative" he explains "And the Green Summit is a chance to build a better energy industry, one that will bring real jobs, but which won't come at the cost of our landscape, our health or our planet."
Greater Manchester Green Summit: Fracking Fringe Meeting
Wednesday 21st March 7pm
Central Methodist Hall
Oldham Street, Manchester
For further details see the Facebook event page – click here
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